Taking A Bath
by BuzzCat
Summary: The curse has just broken and Belle has returned to Rumpelstilskin. Of course, since she probably hasn't had a chance to get clean in twenty-eight years, she takes a bath. Things progress from there. 100% Rumbelle, one-shot for now. If I continue this, there will most likely be some degree of smut. Just a warning. Enjoy!


**A/N: This story is set just after the curse breaks. Belle, like any sane woman, needs to bathe. After spending twenty-eight years in the asylum, one can hardly blame her. Enjoy! Upper-teen rated for now, though will jump to M next chapter. Most likely. Enjoy!**

Rumpelstiltskin sighed. He couldn't believe it. Belle, his Belle, was back. And not only was she back, she was in his house. In the bath. Naked. The thought made him groan and lean against the wall. It was horrible and monstrous, he knew, to be having such thoughts about the woman—_girl_—who had returned to him. But she had always been the one to drive him wild, even in the Dark Castle.

His wife had been a wonderful woman he'd known years and years before Belle, but he had never been attracted to her and neither she to him. It had been an arranged marriage and they had produced Bae more out of duty than love. It hadn't been horrible, but it hadn't been great either. But now he had Belle. Belle, who had captured his heart years ago in a different land and still held it now, even if she didn't know it. Belle, who was naked in his bath.

"Rumpelstiltskin?" he heard her voice echo in the bathroom and he was at the door in a moment, saying,

"What is it? What's wrong?" he asked. There was a silence and it took all his control to not charge in and investigate. Then a quiet voice said,

"Could you come in? It's just…do you remember at the Dark Castle?" she asked. Rumpelstiltskin's mouth went dry as he said,

"Do I remember what, dearie?"

"The day…the day after I fell off that ladder and I was sore and you came in and massaged my back? Could you do that again? Please?" Rumpelstiltskin couldn't believe his ears. She remembered that? Him with his scaly green-and-grey skin and sharp nails, climbing into the bath behind her (thin breeches still in place, of course) to massage her aching shoulders and legs. She'd been wearing a chemise, true, but it had provided just the barest illusion of modesty. And now she was willing to have him in her bath again, even in this new world?

"Rum? Are you coming? I understand if, if I'm repulsive now that I'm filthy and—" Belle wasn't able to finish her thought because Rumpelstiltskin fairly growled and burst through the bathroom door.

"You are not repulsive." He snarled before he was able to take in what he saw. Since he'd given no warning, Belle hadn't bothered to slip on her chemise. The bath was filled with bubbles but her hair was pulled on top of her head, revealing a graceful neck, beautiful bare shoulders, and the majority of her soft breasts. Her legs stuck out the end of the tub starting halfway up her thigh, pale creamy skin that Rumpelstiltskin's eyes feasted upon before he saw the shocked look on Belle's face and immediately looked away. "I'm sorry. I thought…" he trailed off and glanced up at Belle's face. She was smiling. A little flustered, but it was a genuine smile.

"It's fine. I should have been prepared. But really, this makes it easier. It's not like I have a chemise this time. I'm sorry if this is incredibly forward, but I don't really have anything to put on, so…" she looked up at him, flushed from both embarrassment and the heat of the bath. Rumpelstiltskin took a moment to grasp her meaning. His eyes widened.

"That," he cleared his dry throat, "that's perfectly alright, dearie." He shed his suit jacket, shoes, and socks. As he was about to stick his foot into the bath, Belle put a hand on his ankle. He jumped. Belle ignored him and laughed,

"Are you really going to ruin a suit like that? Admittedly it isn't your leather pants, but it's still a very nice ensemble." She said. Rumpelstiltskin blushed a bit himself and looked down,

"I didn't want to make you uncomfortable." He muttered. Belle smiled and he felt the heavens open up upon him,

"I could never be uncomfortable around you." she whispered. Rumpelstiltskin nodded and pulled his foot back. He slowly unbuttoned his shirt, missing the way Belle's eyes hungrily followed his movement. Soon the button-down was off, closely followed by the undershirt. Again he moved his foot, and again Belle stayed it. "You're going to ruin your pants." She said softly. Rumpelstiltskin nodded and swallowed, undoing the buckle and sliding off the pants, leaving him bare but for his black briefs. As he watched Belle's face for the distaste he was sure he'd find, he completely missed the appreciative look in her eyes as she looked him over from toned torso to muscled legs. Her expression softened when her gaze landed on his bum leg but she said nothing.

Rumpelstiltskin put his foot in the tub, sinking through what felt like a foot of bubbles before he reached water and then the bottom of the tub. He put his other foot in and did his best to sit down behind Belle without hurting his injured leg. She scooted forward to allow him room behind her and the sight of her gloriously bare back did things to him that shouldn't be happening. Rumpelstiltskin blushed again and prayed she wouldn't notice his color or the hardness that was slowly growing between his legs. Belle leaned forward and Rumpelstiltskin found his hands gravitating to her shoulders. He rubbed and gently squeezed them. Belle moaned,

"That feels wonderful." Her voice came out as a smoky husk that danced around his head and through his ears. Rumpelstiltskin rubbed a little harder and her sounds intensified. "A little lower on my back." He obediently moved his hands down as he rubbed and pushed at the skin of her back. It was pale, almost sickly looking and he hated Regina even more. Before, Belle had been covered in sun freckles, the kind that looked adorable on her. Now her hair was lank and her skin sallow. This was not Belle as she should be and he felt himself tensing.

"Ouch! A little too hard." Said Belle with a soft laugh. Rumpelstiltskin shook himself from his thoughts and relaxed his hold on her skin. After hesitating a moment, he slowly leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss where he'd been too rough. Belle shivered beneath his touch.

"I didn't realize your fingers were so soft. Do that again?" she asked hopefully. Rumpelstiltskin hesitated a moment, then slowly began pressing kisses across her back, covering every inch of skin with his soft touch. Belle groaned beneath him and began moving fluidly, her shoulders rising and falling. This was going too far. She was fragile in both mind and body. If she kept doing that, Rumpelstiltskin knew he'd lose control and do many things he'd surely regret. He pulled back his hands and lips, leaning against the edge of the tub behind him. Belle turned to look at him, frowning,

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing, dearie. Just...tired." he said with a sigh. If Belle had seen beneath the bubbles, she would have known that wasn't the case. Instead, she leaned back against his bare chest, practically snuggling in to him. He knew, he just knew that surely she felt his erection, yet she gave no indication.

"Massage my scalp? Please?" She said. Rumpelstiltskin's hands rose out of the water and burrowed deep into her chestnut curls, slowly moving and gently pulling at her scalp. Belle moaned again and shifted a bit against him. Rumpelstiltskin bit back a moan of his own. This was Belle's time to relax, not his chance to get off._ I will not make a move,_ he swore to himself. _This will be relaxing for Belle and we will go no farther than this._ But Belle had other ideas.

**A/N: Well? Should I continue this? There will most definitely be smut, but I'm not sure how that'll go. Input is welcome and I hope you enjoyed this!**


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